STAFF and students at Selby High School are celebrating after it achieved a “good” rating from Ofsted.

The school says the improvement from “satisfactory” at its previous inspection comes despite the Government bringing in a tougher inspection regime.

Headteacher Paul Eckersley said: “Only two secondary schools in North Yorkshire to date, of which Selby High School is one, have achieved a good rating since those changes were introduced.

“Nationally, the picture is not dissimilar. Ofsted have raised the bar again since our last inspection, which means that we can feel particularly proud of this achievement.”

The inspectors’ report congratulates students at Selby for “showing good respect for one another”, and says they are friendly and courteous.

Students’ attainment has also risen each year for the last seven years and is now above the national average at GCSE, it said.

“Good teaching, and some that is outstanding, enables the students’ good progress. The vast majority of students are keen to learn and this assists their good progress in lessons and their desire to improve their work.”

However, the report says Selby is not yet an outstanding school because some teachers do not question students closely enough to develop their thinking and do not always ensure students have the skills or opportunities to find things out for themselves.

Mr Eckersley said: “All the key elements are in place to ensure that the school continues to improve and makes rapid progress towards our ultimate aim of being judged “outstanding.”

He said he was delighted with the report, which recognised the hard work and achievements of staff, pupils and governors and the significant improvements that had been made.

He said the school’s increasing success meant it was now increasingly popular with parents, carers and guardians and its latest extension, The Hemingway Suite would provide new state of the art ICT facilities, together with three additional teaching spaces.

“This will allow the school to satisfy the annual clamour for places and in-year transfers. In fact, from January 2014, the school will be able to accommodate an additional eighty students.”